All for you
by EndlessDreamer99
Summary: Everything he is and everything he's done began in the simplest of ways. Mukuro Rokudo and revenge. Oneshot.


_Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or any other manga/anime and other material mentioned. I do own any OC's._

_Japanese Translation:_  
_Nii-chan: Big Brother (informal)_  
_imōto: little sister_  
_(name)-nii: Big Brother (name)_

_Warning: some swearing, and disturbing themes (like experimenting on kids)_

* * *

The Estraneo Family was known for many things. Experiments, their love for science, ruthlessness, and cold detachment for anyone unlucky enough to become their guinea pig were just a few. However, there was one thing that the _famiglia_ was well-known for that surprised many.

Despite their fondness for experimenting (or maybe because of it) the Estraneo Family had some of the most beautiful gardens in the criminal underworld. Of course, that being said, most if not all the plants were extremely poisonous, and a cluster of oak by the front gate spat acid at intruders. However, it was once said beauty always came with a price, right? As far as they were concerned, it all evened out in the end. (That said, the victims of said mutant garden would severely disagree.)

As it was, Mukuro had no love for the lethal grounds, but his little sister absolutely cherished it, and would drag Mukuro outside more often than not for a stroll.

He often protested, but his little sister would make her lip wobbly and eyes wide and teary, and Mukuro's will would crumple like paper.

Her name was Kiemi (Key-em-ee). They had the same dark indigo hair and cerulean eyes, except unlike her brother, Kiemi was never seen without a smile. She was younger than Mukuro by three years, and (in Mukuro's opinion) was the most adorable thing in existence.

As the siblings walked through the gardens, Mukuro kept one eye on his sister. She knew better than to touch the fatal flowers and other greenery, but Kiemi was an impulsive person, and would often forget that the plants were in fact poisonous, and dart closer for a better look. Repeatedly. (Her excuse was that the flowers were so "cute" that she just couldn't believe they were poisonous. Mukuro didn't get it.)

Today, however, found the younger in a contemplative mood. For once, the six-year-old was oddly silent, and it was, to be honest, creeping Mukuro out. After suffering a few more torturous moments in awkward silence, he finally snapped.

"Kiemi? Is something wrong?"

Kiemi started, surprised, before turning to her brother with a beaming smile.

"Don't worry Nii-chan," she reassured, "I'm just thinking."

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. Yeah right. The little hellion was probably planning a prank of some sorts. Even so, as long as it wasn't directed at him, he'd stay out of it.

"Who's the poor victim this time?" Or not. Well, out of the pan and into the fire and whatnot.

Kiemi snickered. "Kufufufu…you're just gonna have to find out!"

Mukuro couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips when he heard his little sister's signature laugh. She'd always laughed like that for as long as he could remember, and it just sounded… adorable.

Not that he'd ever admit it, of course.

After being shot with a look that screamed _'you-better-tell-me-right-this-instant-or-else'_, Kiemi complied to her brother's wishes.

"Okay, okay… it's Ken."

Mukuro's face gained a blank look. Kiemi sighed.

"You know?" She elaborated, "Blond, mean, don't-mess-with-me aura but really a big softie on the inside, your age? Hangs out with Chikusa?"

Mukuro's face remained blank. The six-year-old huffed.

"The boy I was teasing yesterday?" she ventured, and was rewarded with the dawning look of _Oh… _in her brother's eyes, and rolled her own. Stupid anti-social big brother.

"Why him?" Mukuro inquired, trying to cover up his mishap. "Isn't there some other poor sap begging to be tortured out there?"

Kiemi beamed but didn't elaborate. "Kufufufu… not telling!"

With this cheerful declaration, she darted in front of him, laughing. Mukuro let a fond smile make its way across his face, before ruthlessly squashing it down and chasing after her.

"Hey! Get back here! Kiemi! _Don't touch those flowers, dammit!_"

OoOoO

A few weeks later found the two by a natural stream cutting through the garden. It was far enough away from any dangerous plants that Mukuro didn't feel the need to keep an eye on Kiemi. She was terrible at stealth, so if she tried to sneak away, Mukuro would hear as a drunken bear would have been quieter.

Kiemi always swore it wasn't her fault she tripped over everything in sight (like air, the ground, her own two feet…).

Mukuro was sleeping, hands behind his head as his face turned towards the sun. He didn't worry about getting burned. For as long as he could remember both he and Kiemi had never gotten sunburned, no matter how long they stayed in the sun.

Kiemi was reading a book. To be more precise, it was a manga by the name _Fullmetal Alchemist*_. For a six-year-old, it would seem a bit dark for one her age, but Mukuro had long since accepted the fact that Kiemi was no normal child. (To be fair, neither was he, but Mukuro would sooner sing soprano than admit _that_.)

They sat in companionable silence for a long while, and just as the sun reached the midday point, Kiemi shot a thoughtful glance at her older brother.

Mukuro didn't notice. He was trying invent 50 other different ways to torture someone, and was having far too much fun in the process.

A couple of minutes later, Kiemi chanced another unreadable glance at Mukuro, and as time wore on, her looks became more and more frequent, varying from thoughtful, to wondering, to nervous, before finally settling on determined as the child slowly stood.

Needless to say, Mukuro was definitely not prepared when his little adorable sister tackled him, flipped him on his front, and started _playing with his hair._

Naturally, he struggled to get free, not appreciating the abrupt face plant to the mossy soil, but quickly halted his efforts after a whack on the head and a hissed, "Sit still, Nii-chan! Or do you _want_ me to ruin your hair?"

So Mukuro waited, all the while wondering just what Kiemi was doing, and whether she was wearing a slightly insane, bizarre grin. She probably was.

A quarter of an hour passed like this, the silence noticeable but not suffocating. Finally, Kiemi sat up from where she had sat on Mukuro's back, and clapped her hands together, the picture of happiness.

Mukuro climbed clumsily to his feet, rolling his neck to get the kinks out. Laying face first on the ground wasn't the most comfortable position. Satisfied, he leaned over the stream to see what the whole ordeal had been about in the first place.

And stared.

"What did you _do_?" he screeched, staring at the odd style Kiemi had forced his hair into. "It's all sticking up at the back!"

Kiemi's blinding smile didn't even falter. "Kufufufu… I think it suits you," she declared, spinning on her heel.

"HOW?!"

She paused in her celebration, spinning to glance at him. "You don't like it?" she asked, deflating a little. "Sorry… I thought you would…" Kiemi turned her face away, but Mukuro caught the dejected look upon her face. He immediately backpedalled.

"No, no!" Mukuro denied hastily, "It's just not something I've ever seen before, so I was a little surprised, that's all! It looks great! I swear!"

Kiemi eyed him suspiciously. "You mean it…?"

"Of course," he confirmed, and was rewarded with the rebirth of Kiemi's smile once again.

"Oh, okay!" she beamed, turning towards the mansion. "Kufufufu…Race you home!" Without giving him a chance to reply, she took off again, and Mukuro scrambled to catch up, sparing one last glance at the stream to consider his new hairstyle.

_It's not so bad,_ he decided, _and Kiemi was right about one thing. It does sort of suit me._

_Oh, well. I can live with it._

OoOoO

"What do we have here? A couple of brats doing bratty things?"

Mukuro glowered at the boy, shoulders stiff and eyes narrowed. Behind him, Kiemi was snarling at the group, and looked to be on the verge of clawing them to death.

And to think, the day had started out so nicely.

It was quite simple really. As usual, Mukuro and Kiemi had gone out to the gardens for a walk and to hunt for a comfortable place to curl up with a good book when a group of older kids around fourteen and fifteen had ambushed them at the door. They were the children of some of the higher ranking scientists, and as such, often viewed the others as lower status. Because of this, they repeatedly 'taught' the younger kids to look up to them, and see them as superiors. The group had always clashed with the siblings, seeing as Mukuro and Kiemi had never been the type to bow down to higher authority. This was, to them, one more conflict out of many.

The leader of the group was Jawen, the eldest son of the boss's right hand man. After cornering the two by the entrance, he immediately took note of the elder sibling's new hairstyle, which was one of the strangest he'd ever seen. Jawen wasted no time in teasing him about it.

"What's with your hair, brat? What did you do, decide to impersonate a pineapple or something? Oh, I know! It was your idiot sister, wasn't it? How you survived living with her I'll never know, seeing as you have chatterbox for a sibling." Jawen finished with a flourish, relishing the way Kiemi practically shook with rage and Mukuro grit his teeth in annoyance.

"It's not 'pineapple hair'," Mukuro hissed back in reply. "And if you even had a scrap of intellect, you'd know that Kiemi is far more intelligent than you will ever be, and that she only talks when she has something worth saying. Unlike you, who spews so much garbage that it _hurts_. Tell me, is stupidity a genetic trait?"

Jawen sneered, his meaty hands curling into fists. "Did you just insult me?"

"And the rest of your family," Kiemi piped up. "But I guess you missed that part. Nii-chan, I think you're right. He doesn't have anything in that head of his. Except maybe fluff." She smiled, slow and sharp. In that moment, she looked more terrifying than any six-year-old had the right to be. "And just so you know, Nii-chan's hairstyle isn't based off of pineapples."

Jawen didn't reply, still trying to process the information. He took to the physical part of mafia life like a fish to water, but had never bothered in his studies, so much that a grade scholar was smarter. Granted, a grade scholar in mafia schooling, but the fact remains.

Noticing the opportunity of escape, Mukuro grabbed his sister's arm and darted out the door to the gardens. All the time spent exploring them had paid off, and the two weaved their way through, smirking as the sound of the group running into a patch of clover with a love for wrapping itself around people's feet reached their ears.

Slowing down, Mukuro scoffed at their stupidity. "Idiots. As if you would ever base my hair off a pineapple."

Kiemi nodded her agreement. "Kufufufu…you're right. Why would I base your hairstyle on something I'm allergic to?"

OoOoO

In all honesty, Mukuro didn't know what to make of the situation. On one hand, it was kind of cute, and he really should have expected something like this sooner or later, but on the other hand, Kiemi was talking to a kid Mukuro barely recognized (what was his name again? Chi something?) and as her older brother, it was his duty to keep her safe.

Which would be a hell of a lot easier if she just didn't do stuff like this.

Chikusa was known for being a loner, almost as much as Mukuro. However, the quiet boy had somehow become friends with Ken and Tony**, the two most outgoing nine-year-olds you'd ever have the pleasure of meeting. Despite that, he didn't talk much to others outside their circle.

Figures that it only took Kiemi twenty minutes to change that.

The younger Rokudo sibling had started out with talking to Chikusa about everything and nothing at all, simply stating anything that came to mind. It progressed from there, to her asking him pointless questions (which the poor boy ignored) before finally turning into an odd game of Keep-Away, in which Kiemi tried to read the book Chikusa was holding over his shoulder while Chikusa darted around the clearing to hinder her efforts, a faint smile on his lips.

Watching the two from the shadow of a nearby tree (one of the few non-poisonous ones), Mukuro rolled his eyes and walked away from the scene, deciding to wait for Kiemi to return in their shared room. (They used to have their own, but the _famiglia_ was working on a new project that they believed would be the ultimate weapon, and needed more rooms for experimentation.)

After all, Kiemi could take care of herself. And unlike Mukuro, she was a social person, and always delighted in interacting with others.

It wasn't his business anyway.

_However,_ he thought darkly, _if Chikusa or Ken even lay a hand on her, there is going be... dire consequences._

After all, it was his duty as an overprotective older brother. And he intended to keep it.

OoOoO

The morning dawned bright and clear, the sun's early morning rays flickering across the grounds and casting the Rokudo siblings in shadow. The sun had only just started to rise, and it was about 5 o'clock, but neither of them had slept well the night before, and by a unanimous vote, snuck their way to the grounds.

Kiemi and Mukuro were currently huddled over a book that weighed about half of Kiemi's body weight, staring intently at the well-worn pages. It was a weapon encyclopedia, documenting almost every weapon in existence along with strengths and weaknesses that came with it, as well as the type of person most likely to suit it. The two were utterly fascinated.

After a while, as the sun crept higher and higher into the sky, the silence was broken by Kiemi's cry of, "Mukuro-nii, look!"

Mukuro pulled his attention away from where he'd been reading the section on tonfas (hard to master, not good for long-range fighters, usually used by bloodthirsty individuals,) and turned to see what had captured his sister's focus.

"Tridents," he read aloud, "Are a weapon that is often underestimated, but in the hand of an expert, can bring unparalleled destruction. As a weapon, the trident was prized for its long reach and ability to trap other long-weapons between prongs to disarm their wielder***. However, its abilities are limited in short ranged combat. People suited for this weapon are often ambitious and cunning, almost to the point of not caring about anyone but themselves. Nevertheless, they usually have a couple of close allies or comrades who they will willingly sacrifice themselves for. Not to be mistaken for a pitchfork."

He raised an eyebrow. "So?"

Kiemi hummed, excited. "It really fits you, Nii-chan! You're always so anti-social, and don't talk much to anyone, but are really close to those who earn your trust! You always manipulate Jawen and those other idiots, and you really suck at short ranged combat!"

Mukuro twitched at the last one. "I repeat: so? And you didn't have to go into lecture mode, by the way. A simple, 'This weapon fits your personality,' would have sufficed."

Kiemi hummed. "Kufufufu…you would have denied it. You're really dimwitted that way, Nii-chan."

"_W-what?!_ I am _not_ dimwitted!"

"Whatever you say…oh look! Butterfly! It's so pretty..."

"Stop trying to change the subject!"

OoOoO

Mukuro pressed his ear to the door of their bedroom, a frown marring his features. It was well-known around the _famiglia_ that the scientists had been working on a weapon that would give them a momentous advantage in a fight, and in the past few days the base had been a flurry of activity. Only a few weeks before, they had finally succeeded in completing the project, and just yesterday had called a meeting of the other _famiglias_ to show it off.

From what he was hearing, it hadn't gone well.

Behind him, sitting on the bed closest to the window, Kiemi was staring outside. "Mukuro-nii…" she started softly, turning her face to him. "Why can't we go outside? What's going on?"

He pulled away from the door, scowling slightly. "I don't know," the now ten-year-old admitted, his birthday having passed a few months before. "But whatever it is, it isn't good."

Kiemi nodded, biting her lip as she swiveled to face the garden again. Her own birthday was coming up soon, and Mukuro felt a stab of anger at whatever caused this. Kiemi hated to be cooped up. She was rather claustrophobic, another reason she held the outside world in utter fascination.

They spent the next few minutes in tense silence, listening to the clatter of people running, and orders shouted from across the mansion.

"It's about the weapon, isn't it?" Kiemi murmured finally. "What was it, again?"

Mukuro didn't reply, only inching the door open a bit, catching the attention of one of the other members. The man slowed, a slightly forced smile making its way across his face. His name was Deak, and he'd always had a soft spot for kids, especially those two. With the Rokudo siblings around, nothing was ever dull.

"Kuro, Emi," he greeted. "You two really shouldn't be out of your room right now. It's dangerous."

Mukuro didn't falter. "What's going on?" he asked, looking up at Deak. "It's about the new weapon, right? What is it?"

Deak ran a hand through his hair. "I'm really not supposed to say," he admitted, but continued on. "It's a special bullet: the Possession bullet. If you shoot yourself with it, it allows you to possess anyone as long as you cut them with a certain blade. The other _famiglias_…" he shook his head. "They didn't take it well. They've teamed up against us; if we even take a step outside we get massacred."

He didn't say how the boss and other scientists were angry, or how they were speculating about maybe using the children of the _famiglia_ as new test subjects. The Estraneo Family was cruel, but Deak couldn't imagine them ever going that far. They were angry and afraid, that was it. They'd move past this, and everything would be fine. He just had to believe that.****

Mukuro nodded, but Deak caught the spark of interest in his eyes. Then Kiemi padded up to the door, dressed in a floor-length navy blue nightgown and fuzzy woolen light blue socks, her cerulean eyes wide and frightened. She looked like a kicked puppy.

"We…we can't go outside…?" she whispered, her hands coming up to clutch Mukuro's shirt. "People are…dying? What about Mother and Father? Are they okay?"

"They're fine," Deak assured her, inwardly fretting. Maya and Kenshin Rokudo didn't see their children very much, as they were some of the most creative scientists in the _famiglia_. However, it was no secret they loved their children with everything they had, and when they could, would take a day off just to spend it with them. The last he'd heard of them, they'd gone to confront and destroy the rumors about using the children as experiments.

Kiemi and Mukuro both relaxed minutely.

"Thanks," Mukuro intoned, and Deak gave them a weak grin.

"Anytime."

Mukuro nodded back and shut the door with a soft click as Deak sped off to a remote corner of the mansion. Back inside the room, Kiemi gave a small smile, a shadow of her normal grin. "Mother and Father are safe. That's good."

Mukuro hmmed in reply, staring at the closed-door with a far-away expression, not quite able to shake the feeling that everything had changed, and not for the better.

He never knew how right he was until it was already too late.

OoOoO

The day their life became a living hell, the sky was dark.

Thick dark clouds obscured the heavens, and a heavy mist shrouded the grounds. A light drizzle dampened the air, and the world was silent, as if waiting for the worst.

And then, it was shattered.

"Kiemi! _Kiemi!_ Let her go, you bastards!"

Mukuro's desperate cry echoed in the air, pain and betrayal lacing every word.

_How could you do this to us, we're Family, Family doesn't-_

"Mukuro-nii!" Kiemi's answering scream would have shattered hearts, and she strained against the arms holding her back, as if will alone could free her.

_Why?_

Mukuro bit down on the arms restricting him, and tore himself free, stumbling over to his sobbing younger sister. He was her older brother, it was his job to protect her. He couldn't let this happen.

_Why? Why would you do this to us?_

He never reached her. A man clothed in a white lab coat jabbed a needle in his arm and injected the clear fluid into him. Mukuro made a sound that was halfway between a scream and a sob, and collapsed bonelessly to the cold concrete floor. Kiemi shrieked, the tears running freely now, ruthlessly pulling away from her captors, struggling to reach her sibling's unconscious body.

_Why would you hurt us like this? We're Family, aren't we?_

Other cries pierced the air as more and more children were dragged from their beds, as more and more bodies fell to floor under the pull of the powerful sedative.

The scientists watched the commotion with uncaring eyes, a sneer pulling at their lips. They were wasting precious time in gathering the children, time that could have been used for more experimentation, if some of the others had not been so soft. One felt his gaze fall upon the Rokudo siblings, and he scoffed. Pathetic.

_Family doesn't hurt each other…not like this._

Their parents had been the first to go. The weak hearted scientists would have only held the others down. Who cared if it wasn't morally right? The children existed because of the _famiglia_; they should be pleased to serve it in this fashion! As their weapons! As their_ tools!_

_You're not family._

_Not anymore._

OoOoO

The door opened, and a loud screech pierced the air as the metal frame scraped across the ground. Mukuro winced, both at the loud sound and the harsh light that flooded the room, but recovered quickly, glowering at the scientist in the doorway with all the hate in his small, malnourished body.

It had been three months since that day, and he hadn't seen Kiemi since. He didn't even know if she was still alive.

The room (prison, his mind whispered) was painfully empty, and Mukuro remembered numbly that in the beginning there was so many that they were pressed against each other. Now, the unbearably small chamber was home (as if) to only five.

Mukuro glanced at the emotionless man, the scientist's sneer of disgust evident as his narrowed eyes darted around the room, to the puddle of sick in the right corner, to the huddle of shivering, rag-clothed bodies in the other corner, trying to get even a whisper of warmth, to Mukuro, hidden in the shadows near the doorway.

The sneer became more pronounced, and Mukuro knew with horrible certainty that five would soon be reduced to four.

The man walked forward, his stride purposeful (_Bet you've been waiting for this all day, you bastard, _Mukuro thought) and he didn't hesitate to grip the painfully thin arm of a small girl no more than four. She immediately screamed, kicking and biting as tears of fear and frustration welled up in her eyes, but the man didn't react, forcibly dragging her out of the room. She begged desperately for help that wouldn't come, because they'd seen this happen too many times to feel anything anymore.

Her wide eyes locked on his, pleading and terrified, and Mukuro closed his eyes and turned his head away.

She let out one last, final wail and then the iron door closed, sealing her fate.

Bile burned in his throat and tears in his eyes, _she is- was so young_, but Mukuro held them back and focused on her face like all the others.

He can't remember their names, not there, where names were precious things, but he would honor them in his own way- he committed their faces to memory, and swore to never forget them.

He never does.

OoOoO

The next time the door opened, he was alone. Everyone else had been taken for experiments, and none of them returned alive.

He turned his head slightly in their direction, knowing that this time there's no one else but him. It's why he was understandably confused when they then threw a broken and bruised body of a young child on the floor at his feet.

He didn't recognize her right away (it had been four months, after all and they'd changed) but no one else has hair of that color but them, and she is his sister.

Kiemi.

He wasn't aware of the fact he's moved until he was beside her, and her pale weak hand clutched his in a death grip.

"Mukuro-nii," she rasped, and everything was okay again.

She looked like Death itself had warmed over, her hair limp and scraggly, face drawn and pale, shining with sweat; and so thin she was just skin and bones, but she still managed a weak but utterly sincere smile at him. Her right eye was covered with a once white cloth, now stained with blood, but her remaining eye gleamed with hope and pure joy.

"Mukuro-nii," she said again, her voice stronger. "You're here. You're okay…"

Mukuro gave a weak smile back, and squeezed her hand. His other arm came up and he stroked her hair, hating the scientists more and more with each shaking breath she took.

Kiemi's breath was shallow now and she coughed hard, like she was trying to hack out her lungs. Blood dribbled down the side of her mouth.

Mukuro panicked. "Kiemi! Kiemi, are you al-"

He cut himself off, because Kiemi was smiling again, and her eye welled up with tears of elation.

"Mukuro-nii…I'm glad… you're okay…" she forced out, every word a flood of pain. "I'm happy…that I…got to see you…again…"

Mukuro stared, unsure of what's going on (or maybe he did know, and was simply refusing to believe it).

"W-what are you-"

Mukuro hesitated again, because Kiemi was coughing; only this time, she didn't stop. Blood splattered on her hand, but she didn't seem to notice. She continued, on and on until Mukuro realized that she couldn't breathe. It was through utter desperation that he slapped her on the back, but it seemed to work, and her choking coughs died in her throat.

Her eye was flickering, like she was trying to stay awake, and her hand tightened around his.

"Mukuro….nii…" she whispered, and Mukuro could barely hear her now, "I…" she trailed off, the words seeming to wither in her throat. She swallowed painfully, and then continued, forcing the words out.

"…I…" she started again, determined to finish. "Love you…"

A small, thin smile graced her features, then she gave in, her eye closing and breath ending, into the waiting arms of Death.

OoOoO

For a while Mukuro doesn't move at all, his breath small puffs of smoke in the frigid air, his sister's body growing cold in his arms. His eyes were wide, wide and empty, like a statue come to life. Then, he took a shaky, halting gasp, his arms tightening around Kiemi's corpse.

"….Wake up." At first, his voice was little more than a whisper, but grew louder and stronger with growing despair as he went on.

"Wake up," he repeated, and started to shake her. "Kiemi… _imōto_, wake up." She didn't respond, and he quieted, shaking silently. "Wake up…" he whispered again, desperately, but she remained still and lifeless in his arms. Mukuro stiffened, then relaxed, his face blank and emotionless.

The scientists entered the cell again, disappointed. They had thrown her in there because they'd hoped she'd survive is she saw her brother, but obviously something had gone wrong. It was no matter, however, because their boss had found the mistake, and it was a mutual agreement that the brother be the next test subject. There were only two others left besides him, after all.

One of them gripped Mukuro's shoulder in a vice-like grip, yanking him to his feet. The boy didn't react, staring at the floor with a blank look. He suspected that the boy didn't even see it. Oh well, it didn't matter about the boy's mental state. In fact, it was better this way- less screaming when the experiment commenced. The boy's damn bratty sister had just about deafened him.

Mercilessly, he tugged the brat towards the door. The boy stumbled, clumsily trying to keep from falling to the floor. The scientist frowned in disgust. "Get going, brat," he snarled, finally losing his patience. "Your damn bratty sister's dead, get over it. Good riddance I say. What a waste of space."

Mukuro didn't even twitch.

The man continued his tirade of insults. "She couldn't even make it through the first stage. 'Mukuro-nii, Mukuro-nii,' over and over. How pathetic."

Mukuro's blank gaze stared at the dirty tile floor, giving no indication that heard a single vile word the man (who could hardly be called that) had spoken.

"And to think," the man laughed, the mocking sound echoing down empty halls as he continued to bodily pull Mukuro to the testing room, "She actually believed you would too! What a stupid, naïve child. How she could have been born into this _famiglia_, I'll never know. She was defected, in my opinion."

They entered the testing room, and the man tossed Mukuro like a rag doll to the hard unforgiving ground. "Not much of a conversationalist, that one," The scientist commented flippantly. "I think his sibling's death broke him."

"Sibling?" One scientist inquired distractedly as he secured Mukuro to the metal operation table so he wouldn't try to escape.

"The one we used before him," another piped in, scowling. "She screamed most of the way through. The weakling didn't look so good when we dragged her out. I assume she died?" At the nod, he finished with, "What a waste. Do you still have the body? We could break it down to get a better idea of what went wrong."

The scientist who had bound Mukuro to the table commanded their attention. "Hey, hurry up. We're ready to go."

They smirked, one of them placing a gun loaded with the Possession bullet and blade to the side, so that they could take control of the boy's body if he survived the Six Paths of Reincarnation experiment. "Get on with it," he laughed, "I can't wait to introduce our new weapon to the other _famiglias_."

The rest gave various sounds of agreement, already preparing for the trial.

And Mukuro closed his eyes, the mocking words echoing in his ears.

OoOoO

When he wakes up, it takes him a while before he remembers his name. Six other lives, six other sets of memories echo in his head, lives in other worlds, but this one is the only one that matters, so he banishes them from his mind. In truth, _she_ is the reason; he could never forget his little sister's face.

_Kiemi. I failed you. I'm so, so sorry._

There is a cloth patch covering his right eye, just like when Kiemi had died, and he stands slowly, using the metal table for support.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation. How long has he been asleep?

"You finally woke up, boy."

Mukuro- _yes, that was his name, his real name-_ turns to face the speaker, a scientist he only barely recognizes as the one who strapped him to the table.

"…How long?" he says simply, ignoring the loaded gun aimed at the man's forehead. It was no doubt loaded with the Possession bullet; the fools had probably figured they'd simply possess him if he survived.

The man grins, and his hand tightens around the gun. "Funny last thing to say when you're about to lose control on your own mind. But I'll cut you some slack- six hours. One for each Realm. Bye-bye now, puppet." As he makes to pull the trigger, another man Mukuro has paid no attention to came behind him with a three-pronged knife, intent on stabbing him.

He kills both before either reach him, one bit by a poisonous snake (courtesy of the Realm of Beasts) the other burned by illusions he believes to be real. Mukuro hasn't moved an inch.

He walks calmly foreword, casually picking up the gun and dagger. Shouts of alarm ring behind him, but he pays them no heed. They would die soon enough; he has business to take care of.

It's with this in mind that he glides up to the scientist who had dragged him away from his sister's body, who had insulted her. He flings the knife in his hand carelessly at him, the tip only just nicking flesh. It's enough.

The man is quivering in fear, staring at Mukuro in horror, and Mukuro smiles.

"What a waste of space, hmm?" he mocks, repeating the scientists earlier words. "Pathetic. Useless. _Defected_." The last word is hissed out with so much rage the man whimpers, scurrying back against the wall. Mukuro takes vicious pleasure in this, and as he brings the gun loaded with the Possession bullet to his temple, he idly wonders how the man will look with his hands coated in his colleagues' blood.

Broken, most likely.

It fits in an incredibly ironic way, and when Mukuro pulls the trigger, already planning the end of everyone left in the mansion, he sees not the gray room, nor the frightened face of the scientist he would soon possess, but his sister's face, smiling in the face of death.

"…_Mukuro…nii…I…love you…"_

OoOoOo

Mukuro opens his eye, once again back in his own body, the dead ones of the scientists lying scattered like broken dolls on the bloodstained floor. Blood is splattered all over him, but he doesn't mind. He had run out of bodies to possess rather quickly and had decided to finish the deed in his own.

The dagger is held loosely in his fist, and he takes a breath of the air, tinged with the smell of fresh blood and sighs.

The door creaks open, but Mukuro doesn't turn to them, already sure of whom it is. From the corner of his eye, he sees the pale, worried faces of Ken and Chikusa peek through the slit of the open door, and he watches warily as they take in the dead bodies and Mukuro standing, the only one alive. Sees as their eyes give them away, hope, happiness, and relief creeping into them.

_Kiemi laughing with Ken and Tony about a prank they had played on Jawen._

_Chikusa__ and Kiemi playing a game of Keep-Away, his sister desperately trying to read over the other's shoulder._

He smirks, giving the dead scientist one last dismissing glance before facing the two fully.

"Kufufu~" His sister's laugh falls from his lips like it was always meant to be there, but instead of it sounding innocent and cute like it did from Kiemi, the sound is mocking and cold. It makes sense, in a weird twisted way.

"Just as I thought, this world isn't worth it," he murmurs, half to himself, and half to them, hearing rather than seeing the door open wider, the friends stepping towards him warily. His hand reaches towards his face, and bloodstained fingers brush the cloth around his eye. He pulls it away, revealing a once-blue-now-red eye with the kanji for six where the pupil should be.

"Let's erase it all…" Mukuro continues, finally facing the two, a smirk pulling at his lips.

_This, and everything that happens after, it's all for you, little sister. I promise I'll avenge you. I'll destroy this cold world, starting with the damned mafia._

_But you wouldn't want me to do it alone, would you?_

"Shall we go together?"

* * *

_Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath. ~Eckhart Tolle_

* * *

_* So good it deserved a mention. Also, I felt like it. Why not? _

_** Mentioned once during the manga flashback about the Kokuyo boys' pasts. _

_*** Taken directly from Wikipedia. Don't own. _

_**** I highly doubt everyone in the Estraneo Family was up for experimenting on kids. I also doubt those people were allowed to live._

_A/N: Because we get one measly flashback on Mukuro's past and that's it. And because Mukuro is a wonderfully complex character and it's entertaining to try to figure him out._

_That last scene is almost completely from the manga, I just added Mukuro's thoughts. And a quote, because no depressing oneshot is complete without one. _

_Please tell me what you think! _

_~Dreamer_


End file.
